Subscriptions must be paid in advance, either through a local Newsagent, "THE BYSTANDER" OFFICE, TALLIS STREET, WHITEFRIARS, E.C. NOTICE. Paris Office, 24, Cité Trevise, where all orders for Continental Subscriptions, Advertisements, and Electros should be addressed. POSTAGE RATES FOR THIS WEEK'S “BYSTANDER” are a follow-To any part of the Unite Kingdom d. per copy irrespective of we ght. To any other part of the world the rate would be d. FOR EVERY TWO OUNCES. Care should, therefore, be taken to BYSTANDERS NOTES London: Wednesday To London Town from Babylon The pageant of the world goes by! Certainly one of the most remarkable books of modern years has just been published by Mr. John Lane (65.). The effect of Lieutenant Bilse's novel, "Aus Einer Kleinen Garnison," or, to adopt the English title, "Life in a Garrison Town "-will doubtless be far-reaching in German military circles. Nay, even now it is producing results far in excess, I imagine, of what the talented young author in his most sanguine moments ever dared to hope for. The book shows every indication of having been drafted under the feverish stimulation which only one can experience who feels so acutely the biting wrongs of tyranny that he is in a frenzy till they be put right. It is zeal like this which breeds great reforms and great men, which gives birth to a Hampden or a Washington. And this hitherto obscure German lieutenant, who is now paying the price of exposing a reactionary system by a modern martyrdom of six months' imprisonment in the fortress at Metz, has rendered his countrymen an inestimable service, a service which, if they only realise it, should in time to come immortalise his name. In a word, Lieutenant Bilse has ruthlessly torn aside the curtain which has enveloped with mystery that grotesque by-product of civilisation-the German Army-and the Colossus proves to have but feet of clay! The writer has shown the hollowness and the mockery of rampant militarism and worse than that-its ineffectiveness. In the end every sham must be exposed. It is in the nature of things, for, if this were not so, then shams would be equivalent to genuineness. So in the most relentless manner the writer of "Life in a Garrison Town" has shown us the true side of life in a conscript army. The coarseness it breeds from the highest to the lowest ; the insults to which the unfortunate soldiery are subjected and to which they dare not retaliate; the brutality of officers, who recognise no higher power than the army; the aggrandisement of the military at the expense of the civilian-the despised paymaster; the disillusion and discontent - which necessarily follows-when the young recruit realises, as he very soon does, what a vast difference there is between his ardent anticipation and its disappointing realisation. It is then you understand the unnaturalness of forced military service, the sordidness of militarism, and you begin to wonder whether there is not some truth in that oft-whispered report which says that in the event of war more German officers would fall from the weapons of their own side than would be hit by the enemy. I pause and con A Stander-By. I March 9, 1904 The book deals faithfully, as the title suggests, with life in a garrison town. Of the drinking, immorality, gambling, and such like amenities which take place it is unnecessary to remark. When the policy of a nation is directed to the restriction of a people's free will, forcing citizens to adopt the profession of arms, which, in a great percentage of cases, must be opposed to personal tastes, such a profession must suffer. Whatever a calling may be, so soon as it is nourished thus unnaturally, the result will be found in its ultimate degradation. No nation in the world's history which has enforced conscription but has fallen. The style of the book is incisive and good. It is, indeed, not only well written, but written in the best manner it is possible for such a work to be; that is to say, it is simply penned, and its very simplicity is the hall mark of its genuineness if any proof of such were needed. I will cull one extract. It applies, perhaps, to other nations than to Germany alone: Must we so increase our army till it finally crushes every other organ of the State? Were only a part of the colossal sums, which the army swallows up every year, used for other departments of the Empire, it would not be necessary to tax the citizens so out of proportion to their incomes. Then we should become a rich country, the citizens would be well-off; industry, reborn with a new vigour, would advance by leaps and bounds. So much for the armaments of Europe. The price the world pays for becoming an armed camp is, indeed, heavy, for Germany is not the only nation whose very life blood is being sapped by tremendous demands upon her which she cannot naturally fulfil. There is, of course, no possibility of denying the truth of this extraordinary book written by the young German cavalry officer. Five of the officers introduced in its pages have had their services since dispensed with. At the Court Martial no one denied that the book was truthful. In the Reichstag the Minister of War was forced to admit that the statements contained in the book were true. And, finally, it is said, the Kaiser himself has had his eyes opened at last to the very pernicious customs he encourages in his army-not the least of which is the insensate one of duelling-and intends to instigate reforms. But no reform on a great scale is even possible in a country which glorifies the vocation of war above all peaceful pursuits, and which, I repeat again, refuses freedom to its people, by imposing on them the hateful yoke of conscription. I hope all persons in England who are in favour of the same system will read this book; it may cause them to think. The Bystander in Parliament The question of the day at Westminster is-What shall be done with the absentee ?-just as it used to be in Ireland. The Government Whips journey each day to the House humming the sad refrain, “We shall meet, but we shall miss them," for the rank and file linger in clubs, or lounge in drawing-rooms. The telephone-wires have shuddered of late because of the messages sent over them by the justly incensed warrior, Sir Alexander Acland-Hood-Chief Whip of the Unionist party. And when at length the laggards arrive they dodge past the austere man even as a little dog, with furtive glance, tries to keep outside the sphere of influence of his master's stick. Naturally enough the Opposition enjoys the sport, and "the boys" from a neighbouring island make merry with their friends. It is, indeed, a pleasant scene for a Bystander when a British baronet comes in, panting and purple, and, as he mops his polished pate, some unregenerate son of an Irish king puts the searching question, "Where's your pigtail?" It is in vain that the victim snorts—and, indeed, so far as the "whole-hoggers" are concerned, the allusion to the pigtail cannot be considered irrelevant, though obviously it may be regarded as waggish. It is said that the inner circle of the Cabinet-the select few who are quite distinct from those whom Mr. Balfour once pleasantly and airily dismissed as "the generality of the Cabinet' -are considering ways and means by which to lure the members to the House at the beginning of business. It has been suggested that a good luncheon provided at the House, and paid for out of the Secret Service Fund, might be attractive. The chairman of the Kitchen Committee, Colonel Lockwood, affectionately known to all as "Uncle Mark," would no doubt rise to the occasion, and would spread such tempting dainties as to ensure a full House in more than one sense-but there are obvious objections to the proposal. Apart from the fact that there would be something suggestive of "rattling the corn-bin" about the scheme, there is the graver objection that the Government would seem to some to have surrendered entirely to the Free Food party, while others would say that this was a policy of Protection against snap divisions. A musical entertainment was considered, but the notion had to be abandoned because of the implacable attitude of the Scottish members, who declared that the bagpipes must on no account be omitted. Thus the more kindly disposed section of the Cabinet, which held to the old dictum that "force is no remedy," had to abandon the enterprise. The other section proposed stern measures. I believe that their suggestions are still under consideration. I hope I am not guilty of any breach of privilege in announcing that these suggestions include a proposal that late comers be made to stand on a back bench with their faces to the wall, or to write out the Standing Orders in a big round hand. In the case of persistent offenders it is argued that they should be laid on the table as unopposed returns. The notion of employing bloodhounds to track down deserters is favoured by a small, but fierce, minority in the Cabinet, while others advocate underground pneumatic tubes through which the laggards may be shot in desperate emergencies. Of course the scheme could apply only to "burrow members. It has been thought in some quarters that all members, whether supporters or opponents of the Government, should be compelled to be regular and punctual in their attendance. In order to ensure this, greater powers should be conferred upon Mr. Speaker. Indeed it might be well if Mr. Gully, immediately after prayers, were to say, or sing, the following form of words to the House: A CALL TO DUTY. I. Should any laggard members-and I don't care who they are- II. I care not if they're English, or Irish, Scotch or Welsh, Each member must his Whip's command with promptitude And hear the Clerk proceed to read the Orders of the Day. And hear the Clerk proceed to read the Orders of the Day! III. So if a member more than once, is late to reach his place, This ought to have a good effect, and it is to be hoped that nothing more drastic will be needed. I am bound to say, however, that in moments of exasperation the Whips have made dark allusions to the establishment of a compound in Palace Yard, in which the members are to be herded during the sittings of the House. Reasonable facilities for amusement—such as the provision of Blue-books, volumes of Hansard, dominoes, and so forth-would, of course, be provided at the public expense. The Chaplain would also be available for those who wished to consult him. But there would be no leaving the premises without a special permit from the Sergeant at-Arms, and the police would have strict orders to guard against any attempt to carry out the policy of the open door. It remains with the members to decide whether this drastic remedy be applied or not. S. L. H. |